Various fields such as life science, medical devices and biotechnology often require thermal cycling for performing various reactions. One type of reaction is the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in which a biological sample such as a DNA fragment is replicated.
PCR has been the preferred method for replicating, or “amplifying” specific and singular nucleic acid constituents in an otherwise complex sample. Among the requirements of the PCR protocol is that the PCR sample, consisting of the biologic sample and PCR reagents, be exposed to three distinct temperatures for a specific length of time. The temperature and time of the exposure is optimized for the particular nucleic acid sequence desired. It is also a requirement that the PCR sample be exposed to the three temperatures multiple times. In the scientific vernacular, these two requirements are commonly referred to as thermal cycling.
Scientific endeavors such as the Human Genome Project and other similar efforts require that an extraordinary number of PCR reactions be conducted. The costs and time associated with the performance of PCR can become prohibitive for scientific studies that require thousands or even millions of PCR reactions. Cost reduction can be realized by reducing the volumes of the materials required for a successful PCR reaction through miniaturization. Total PCR reaction time can be reduced by decreasing the time required for the sample to be exposed to, and equilibrate at each of the temperature set points in the prescribed PCR protocol.
Current art has relied on various means to achieve these goals. Each method and device contains one or more of the following attributes that prohibits rapid temperature changes in the PCR sample. The temperature of one or more sources of thermal energy must be changed to establish each temperature set point. The time required for this is determined by the thermal conductivity of the device material which is inherently slower than the PCR sample itself. If constant temperature thermal sources are employed, regional areas of the device equilibrate at the desired temperature set points but gradual temperature changes are established in the surrounding areas within the device due to the thermal conductivity properties of the materials. This results in a slow thermal transition of the sample as it moves through the device. The time to traverse these transition temperature ranges serves to increase the total reaction time in comparison to methods that offer abrupt or instantaneous changes. It also requires that the device be larger and therefore does not provide the highest degree of miniaturization. Thus, the full cost benefit from reduced PCR sample volumes is not realized.
There is substantial development of devices and methods to facilitate the temperature cycling, also referred to as thermal cycling. U.S. Pat. No. 6,337,435 TEMPERATURE CONTROL FOR MULTI-VESSEL REACTION APPARATUS by Daniel Chu, et al. describes an approach whereby a sample or samples in a multi-well container are subjected to temperature changes caused by physical contact between the multi-well container and a heating device. The time required to perform the thermal cycling is largely determined by thermal mass and other physical properties of the heating device and is therefore relatively slow.
The multi-well device is usually opened at the top to provide access to the wells for the introduction and removal of the sample. This creates an environment for the undesirable evaporation of the sample. The aforementioned patent, as well as others, strive to reduce this effect by implementing covers. The covers reduce evaporation but present an opportunity for undesirable condensation. This effect is often mitigated by heating the cover but this then introduces a competing temperature source to the system, further increasing the total PCR reaction time.
There has been a significant effort within the biotechnology community to create closed miniaturized devices in order to mitigate the disadvantages of the open well/vessel systems. The advantages of a closed miniaturized system would be to reduce sample evaporation, reduce condensation, and to reduce costs by using smaller sample and reagent volumes. Exemplary of such miniaturized systems is U.S. Pat. No. 6,284,525 MINIATURE REACTION CHAMBER AND DEVICES INCORPORATING SAME by Richard Mathies and Adam Woolley and U.S. Pat. No. 6,261,431 PROCESS FOR MICROFABRICATION OF AN INTEGRATED PCR-CE DEVICE AND PRODUCTS PRODUCED BY THE SAME by Richard Mathies, Peter Simpson, and Stephen Williams. Such devices are fabricated containing closed reaction chambers. Sample and reagent liquids flow into and out of these chambers through a network of fluid channels. Heating elements such as resistive wire elements are fabricated within these chambers and provide the heating energy required to execute the PCR assay.
As with the larger and open system, the thermal properties of the device and the structural design primarily determine the reaction time. Although these systems are an improvement over the previously described approach, the thermal characteristics of such a structure is a limiting factor. Also, fabricating, controlling, and monitoring of the in situ heating elements is complicated and adds appreciably to the cost of the device.
Another method that attempts to accelerate the PCR process is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,180,372 METHOD AND DEVICES FOR EXTREMELY FAST DNA REPLICATION BY POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTIONS (PCR) by Jochen Fanzen. In this embodiment, a two dimensional network of microfluidic channels is contained within two temperature heating/cooling elements. The microchannel device is exposed to rapid temperature changes by changes in the heating/cooling elements above and below the device. This system is very efficient in the energy transfer between the heating/cooling elements due to complete physical contact with the elements. However, the total PCR reaction time is still limited by the ability to change temperature within the heating/elements and within the microchannel material.
The above-mentioned devices and methods address the issue of thermal cycling for PCR by various configurations of heating elements in an attempt optimize the energy transfer from the elements to the device and eventually the PCR sample contained there in. All of these methods and devices are limited by their ability to transfer thermal energy through the device and into the sample. Further limitations are present when the heating elements themselves must also change temperature in order to expose the PCR sample to each desired temperature set point in the PCR protocol.
It is therefore desirable to provide a thermal cycling device that reduces the thermal limitations of prior known devices as well as reducing evaporation, condensation and cost so that a device for rapidly performing thermal cycling is provided.